It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine: November 2018

The Chemistry Set - “Firefly” premiere

“Firefly” is a heavy psych-pop ‘instant classic’, with fuzz guitars set to 11, exceptional bass guitar, 12 string Rickenbacker rhythms, powerhouse drumming, the dirtiest Farfisa you will hear this year, juxtaposing with beautiful ethereal vocals, arabesque swirls, amazing guitar solo and the cherry on the cake - phasing on the outro!

Telephone Exchange didn’t just set out to create an impressive debut album. They’re a band looking to challenge this existing framework of post-punk and psychedelia to create something new. The band deftly mixes hypnotique, analog white noise and infectious Kraut-inspired grooves with a dark, almost otherworldly ambiance. This is the soundtrack to the nightmares of conventional pop music.

The album tries to transpose the most obscure aspects of human workforce and professional practice into a machine learning artifact, which is eventually able to discern between performing, thinking, and all the moral, ethical, and ontological aspects around these actions. This object of study is eventually transformed into an electronic kind of animal, doomed to respond to induced stimuli within a glazed stall. Released on Ongakubaka Records.

Juleah - “Kahlua” premiere

Blending the bluesy rock & roll of the Brian Jonestown Massacre and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club with the shoegaze decadence of Ride and Slowdive, Juleah has found its trademark sound in sweet but sultry vocals and the depths of reverb-soaked guitars. While remaining steeped in omnipresent psych leanings, Juleah has delicately perfected the art of genre reinvention, taking heed of everything from the snarl of southern guitar riffs to the shimmer of surf rock.

‘Wild Beyond Belief!’

Upon recovering from being steamrolled over by the onslaught of Satan’s Satyrs’ new album, The Lucky Ones you’ll likely wonder just what exactly it was that hit you. A punky, sleaze rock groove (perhaps even a whiff of 70s glam) meets NWOBHM melodicfury, Blue Cheer mass and volume, and Ozzy’s dramatic charisma condensed into a sound all its own, perhaps. At its core is an unstoppable, unpretentious exorcism of rock’n’roll exuberance.

Donovan’s Brain -“Convolutions of The Brain” (Career Records, 3CD/2018)

Essential career retrospective, “Convolutions” spans 25 years, 49 tracks, and four hours of inspired insanity from the Montana mindmelters, buoyed by a bevy of unreleased tracks, film scores (!), rare compilation tracks, and live goodies (where the Brains are arguably heard to best advantage), including their rehearsals for their Terrastock 4 performance in Seattle, Washington in 2000. The Brain were always an organic, catch-as-catch-can collection of members who popped in to God’s Little Ear Acre studios in Bozeman to regroup, swap reunion stories and lay down tunes left abandoned the last time they were in town. But main Brain Ron Sanchez is also a brilliant editor who’s managed to seamlessly combine segments sometimes separated by 25 years, which also accounts for the multiple versions of old favourites.

4-piece Leeds based Psych-Rock band Wuzi are set to release their new EP “Severed Head” this Friday (30th). To kick the campaign off they’re sharing one of the four tracks with you now, this is ‘Big Noose.’ Wuzi on Facebook

ZEMENT interview

Hypnotic grooving, instrumental ‘krautrock’ from Würzburg, Germany. Tune in and drop out! Clearly, Can is a major influence, just like Ash Ra Tempel, NEU! or Cluster, but more in the context of approach and attitude.

Long regarded as the holy grail of Canadian heavy psych fuzz bombers.

The story of Strange Milk began with an amazing cover of “Animal On Est Mal” applauded by Gérard Manset himself. After an eponymous debut with Le Pop Club Records in 2016, acclaimed by French critics and preceded by two EPs (Infrasonic Sunflowers in 2011 and The Odd One Out in 2012), Strange Milk seeks today to expand the psychedelic influences of its debut. The band, which is now a trio, draws from the more dissonant and vaporous sounds of the nineties, seeking to mix the Golden Age of the sixties with the roughness of alternative rock. Before the release of its second album in 2019, Strange Milk will present a brand new single titled “Mad Cats”.

New single “Heaven Adores You” out now via HolyHowl.

Midlands 5 piece Violet come drenched in big sounds with an indie spark, combining influences that draw from 90s Grunge to Britpop. Pedal immersed guitars entwined with intricate drums and powerful basslines come together to create a unique ethereal, yet captivating sound. The band are likened to the ambiance of Slowdive, the mystique of The Horrors and the melancholy of Suede.

The greatest psychedelic films draw their inspiration from the world around us. The stimulating visuals and mind-bending backdrops of some of the most iconic films of all time are not merely the product of a director’s imagination, rather, they are the product of the surreal world we already live in. Any person can experience the backstreets of Blade Runner or the overpowering backdrops of Metropolis if they simply follow in the footsteps of the creators. Here are four places that inspired psychedelic films that you need to visit.

It does not happen very often anymore that unreleased music from 50 years ago surfaces.

This is the story of The Morning Reign, a band of young fellas who could have become famous and mentioned in the same breath as The Doors, Eric Burdon & WAR, and all the other music legends of the Garage-Rock era – if their songs had been released back in the day. Surprisingly, they have released only four 45rpm singles during their existence although they had recorded enough material for an entire album. Order your copy from Perfect Toy Records.

Interview with George Bunnell of Strawberry Alarm Clock, the legendary sixties psychedelic rock band from Los Angeles, California. A half century on, the Southern California group’s lineup features five original members.

Arcadian Child - Superfonica (Rogue Wave Records, 2018)

https://arcadianchildband.bandcamp.com/album/superfonica

About a year ago I reviewed this amazing psych group, Arcadian Child; at the time the record was Afterglow, and it was excellent. On November 23rd, they will release their second album for Rogue Wave Records, titled Superfonica; which is an amazing album that shows a lot of growth, focus, and how well these musicians are able to work together to craft incredible songs.

Interview with Ljubiša Ristić and Bojan Kveder about Ganeša, a Serbian band that released three exceptional Indian influenced single 45’s. Their name bore from Hindu deity of prosperity and new beginnings.

“Sometimes time can be something weird and disorientating”

Glen Steenkiste talks in this interview about Het Interstedelijk Harmoniumverbond as a league of harmonium players, all from different cities, who come together and join forces to create music. I have nothing to add to that.

“A pure communication”

In Paris, Aries 1973 is the only album made by St Louis, Missouri art collective Black Artists Group. It is now reissued by Aguirre Records.

Any studio geek/aficionado can almost guess that “FeetToTheFire” was recorded at the legendary Tiny Telephone Studios in San Francisco, due to thick production and clarity of the bass and drums. Lo-Fi Satellites is a 4 piece alternative psych band tucked away in the Bay Area’s best kept secret, Pacifica. Lead by Marc Belluomini’s vocals the band takes us on a journey with astral sounding guitar tones, and a heart pounding rhythm section. “FeetToTheFire” is the opening track from their upcoming EP. Be sure to check the boys out at The Caravan on 11.30 in San Jose.

Fickle Pickle - “A Complete Pickle” (2018) review

Fickle Pickle - A Complete Pickle (Morgan Blue Town Music, 2018)

A North-West London studio based quartet consisting of members best known as producers, engineers and session players, Fickle Pickle was actually a bit of an English psych pop supergroup consisting of Cliff Wade (lead guitar, rhythm guitar and bass guitar) and Geoff Gill (drums) from The Smoke, best known for their late 60’s acid classic “My Friend Jack” along with Wil Malone (piano, organ and electric piano) from Orange Bicycle and Steve Howden (lead guitar, rhythm guitar and bass guitar) from Red Dirt. Vocals for the band were supplied by all four members. The three bands had in common that they recorded at Morgan Studios in London, so it was rather inevitable that the four combined their talents and recorded a handful of singles as well as an LP that received very limited distribution. Luckily for fans of the band, albeit some fifty years later, the complete works of Fickle Pickle have been lovingly compiled and annotated by David Wells in a three CD box set aptly titled “A Complete Pickle” released on Morgan Music Co. Ltd.’s Morgan Blue Town imprint.

With Little Feat being the brainchild of Lowell George, who was politely dismissed from Frank Zappa’s band by Zappa suggesting that perhaps it was time for Lowell to form his own group. Nevertheless, once formed, Little Feat would eventually slide out of Lowell’s hands, taking on a sound quality that would again lead Mr. George to form his solo project during the Little Feat recording of Time Loves A Hero.

Disgusting Beauty are a Berlin based band with a line-up including musicians from Israel, France, Spain and Argentina which was originally founded in 2016. After the release of their first EP in 2018 through Blue Cat, the band started touring across Germany and France, already playing renowned venues such as Kantine am Berghain (Berlin), Molotow (Hamburg) and Supersonic (Paris).

Frank Attard of Frozen Planet.... 1969 talks about the making of “The Heavy Medicinal Grand Exposition”. It’s a true heavy-psyched-out instrumental adventure.

Simulated Sun is the brainchild of Dave Farina, best known as the prominent science communicator behind the YouTube channel “Professor Dave Explains”. Though his professional life is dedicated to science, music has been his true passion from a young age. Beginning as a classical pianist, he switched to drums and ethnic percussion in college, going on to play drums for a variety of bands in the decade that followed, most notably the Indie-Americana outfit The Lonely Wild.

Mad Timothy - “A Very Snug Joiner” (LP on Out-Sider/Unknown Recording Date)

Completely unknown dumpster dive acetate rescued from a US thrift shop. Best guesses at the label suggest it may have been recorded in the late ‘60s/early ‘70s, but it could just as easily have been a bunch of teenagers goofing around in their basement last month who planted the sleeveless album in their local pawn shop. Attempts to contact members of the band have so far proven fruitless, but once news of the release spreads, the label hopes someone will step forth. In the meantime, what we have here is an apparent demo that never made it past the acetate stage. Having run through all the disclaimers, it’s not a bad little album, boasting decent, stoner-type vocals, lightning fast solos, and surprisingly strong production values (although, admittedly, the label gave it the once over twice to clean up the sludge and scuff marks!)

F/i are from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and have been around since 1982. They released a huge amount of interesting material, ranging from noise to experimental space rock. Richard Franecki has also a few other projects, including Vocokesh.

Floating in from New Zealand, ‘black sand’ deliver a hypnotic series of fuzzed out sustained neo-psychedelic songs that are heavily washed in reverb and effects to enrapture and waste away any evening.

Recently announcing the signing of a record deal with Club AC30, effects-laden singer-guitarist Kevin Gibbard, anchored by the powerful precision of drummer Sophia Lacroix, will be releasing their 4 track EP later this year, co-produced by engineer James Aparicio whose credits include Spiritualized, Nick Cave and Depeche Mode.

Endless Blue (2018)

The Black Sand passed so close to earth the other night, where like a vintage wayward satellite I could just about make out their reflection against the light of the moon as they floated overhead, jettisoning a lush intoxicatingly sonic message from the great beyond, a postcard of sorts from their hypnotic galactic travels. Standing there in the darkness I waved, knowing full well there was no way they’d see me down here on terra firma, yet I did. That silent wave was all I could muster as I stood there with my arms flung wide, as if to embrace the entire universe, and then, Black Sand signaled me with a blinking blue beacon, where in that moment I felt like crying as I fell under the weight of these warm delicious couch-bound tracks, simply whispering back into the vastness, “Shine On.”

“It was total chaos and ferocious as if the four of us held an everlasting grudge on the whole world. It was a blend of metal and punk. That was the Soggy sound, a true garage sound!”

Formed in 1978, Soggy quickly developed a unique style of Stooges infused punk and hard rock. They released only one single back in 1982 - “Waiting For The War” / “47 Chromosomes”. Over the years their cult status has grown exponentially. Outer Battery Records reisued their material!

A brand new podcast hosted by Ross Beattie (The Night Tripper)

Suicide - Sufferin’ In Vain

Rhys Bloodjoy - The Day Venus Trashed Heaven

Brant Bjork - 1968

Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs - Gloamer

Snowy Dunes - Tranquil Mountain Lake

Heroin In Tahiti - V

Damaged Bug - Slay The Priest

The Claypool Lennon Delirium - Blood And Rockets

Jefferson Airplane - Plastic Fantastic Lover (Live at The Fillmore West)

Our Solar System - Babalon Rising

Soft Machine - Fourteen Hour Dream

Kikagaku Moyo - Gatherings

Yoko Ono - Why

Edward Penfold - Caulkhead

Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats

Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats’ performance was Friday’s highlight. Absolutely spectacular projections by Lance, The Mad Alchemist Liquid Show, the best I have seen.

The Kundalini Genie are a psychedelic rock‘n’roll band unlike any other. Spaced out drones, druggy melodies, a hammering rhythmic section and an eccentric, high octane frontman leading the charge. The band are set to release their second album You Are The Resurrection. PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY!

Iconic California psychedelic punk legends The Chocolate Watchband are touring to celebrate the release of their new album (released by Dirty Water Records), led by founding and current members, vocalist David Aguilar and guitarist Tim Abbott, plus Gary Andrijasevich on drums. Second generation fans, guitarist Derek See and bassist Alec Palao (Grammy-nominated producer/ historian ), bring their enthusiasm and love for the music to the table to help weave THE sound which both faithfully recreates the sonic energy and tone of the original recordings, as well as giving a rare edge to new material that is a logical progression to the bands legacy.

Pre-order: https://chocolatewatchband.bandcamp.com/

Cosmic-jazz adventure “Time” by Brighton’s Wax Machine from their forthcoming third EP.

“It’s Already Written” is the first single lifted from TAU’s second album TAU and The Drones of Praise (out Feb 4, 2019). It’s a one chord scorcher full of mantras inspired by the cosmic serpent and its relation to DNA theory. The song is powered by some amazing muted harp work by Andy Aquarius that sounds like it’s straight out of a mescaline dream sequence and peppered by Pyramid frontman and 70s Chicago freejazz originator Idris Ackamoor’s own cosmic saxophone interpretations.

Group portrait – l. to r. Will MacCalder, Bob Dann, Roland Hardie (front), Bill Hardie, Dennis Petruk, February 1967 photographer unknown, courtesy Rob Edwards

The Rise and Fall of Willie & The Walkers

by Brock Silversides

The seven years from 1965 to 1972 was a magic period in the history of Canadian popular music. Nowhere was that more true than in Edmonton. Alberta’s capital had a relatively small but remarkable musical scene – it could boast of two recording studios: CJCA and Downtown Recording Studio (later called Park Lane), three record labels: Pace, Damon and Molten, four booking agencies: Rayal Talent, Amroux Enterprises, Spane International, and Studio City Musical Ltd., three radio stations playing popular music: CJCA, CHED and CFRN, hip disc jockeys such as Bob Stagg, Chuck Chandler and Bob Gibbons, a popular music promoter like no other – Benny Benjamin, numerous hip nightclubs such as the Sugar Shack a-Go-Go, the Outer Limits, Zorba’s, the Forum, the Rainbow Ballroom, the Lakeview Pavilion, and finally a network of neighbourhood community halls which promoted local rock bands every weekend.

“Eating out, going for walks and enjoying each other’s company”

During a two weeks residency at Stockholm’s EMS Studios, Oren Ambarchi, his partner Crys Cole and longtime friend Leif Ellgren made their self-declared party record Certainly.

“Fatigue, boredom and pain are ‘real’ experiences, and then you can escape reality”

Beyt Al Tapes uses used tapes as his main instrument; he cuts them up, dubbs them, fast-forward and rewinds them. Unprecize Music, his fourth release, is out now on Chocolate Monk.

Around The World In 80 Record Stores by Marcus Barnes (Dog ‘n’ Bone Books 2018)

Imagine how wonderful it would be to travel the globe with the sole purpose of shopping for records. Since such a pursuit is a mere fantasy for most of us, the next best thing to doing so is to purchase a copy of “Around The World In 80 Record Stores,” which was compiled and authored by internationally known journalist Marcus Barnes.

A young girl’s barbershop adventure into jazz and the blues ...

Most women adored the beauty salons that dotted the landscape of all communities during the late 1950’s and 60’s. I on the other hand hated them … they were bright, usually awash in the colour pink, industrially loud with the smell of hair cooking under dryers, housewives of varying sorts decked out in unidentifiable animal patterned gowns snapping gum with lips that matched the colour of their painted nails and laughingly complaining about their kids, their husbands, or anything else that passed through their minds as a single speaker radio struggled to maintain a high volume, while crackling under the strain.

Debut single from Second Oracle and the lead single from their upcoming debut LP (Lazy Octopus Records).

Second Oracle have been a part of the Stockholm indie scene since its formation in 2014, playing semi-regularly while building a reputation as one of the most exciting new acts around.

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